Broadband optics for manipulating light beams and images

摘要

Pointing and positioning system of light beams and images including a plurality of cycloidal diffractive waveplates, each waveplate capable of deviating a generally broadband light beam over a predetermined angle. The lateral translation and deviation angles of the light beams are controlled by controlling the relative distance, rotational position, and the diffractive efficiency of a least one in the plurality of waveplates.

主权项

1. A system for positioning light beams comprising:
(a) a set of two cycloidal diffractive waveplates that are bonded with each other, with or without spacers, one of said cycloidal diffractive waveplates having variable diffraction spectrum, with electrodes deposited on one substrate of a liquid crystal cell with cycloidal orientation of a liquid crystal in the liquid crystal cell, and another one of the cycloidal diffractive waveplates being not stimuli responsive to an electric field; (b) means for controlling the diffraction spectrum of said variable cycloidal diffractive waveplate between diffractive and non-diffractive states, by applying an electric field through the electrodes to align liquid crystal molecules along the electric field and transform spatially modulated liquid crystal orientation into a homogenous orientation; and (c) a light source for generating a light beam into the set of two cycloidal diffractive waveplates, wherein the system controls pointing and positioning the beam.